Installed Hyperpro Spring Set + New Rear Shock

Just finished up the Hyperpro spring set install. I managed to score an OE rear shock from an 08. It was a take off, basically new as the owner put an aftermarket setup on upon buying the bike. I was going to put just the 08 setup on my softly sprung 03 and install a set of 04 fork springs. Things changed as I researched fork springs on here as well as good ole' Google. The Hyperpro setup seemed exactly what I was looking for. A nice little improvement over the stock setup and priced right too! The whole project cost me under $500 bucks.

First issue, there was no way I could get the OE spring off the rear shock assy. My spring compressor just wasn't grabbing onto anything. So I called around, not even my local Yamaha dealer would tackle the job. I asked the service department for some help and was told they outsourced all their suspension work to a guy called Get Real Racing. He was only 3 towns over from me so I headed on down. He got the OE crap off and the new spring on with the help of a 20 ton press and some pretty simple home made tools. The rear shock swap is 15 minutes at best, 3 bolts, 3 small nuts on the hard soft lever and your done.

Next up was the front forks. I've serviced them regularly so I figured this should be easy. Got them off the bike, fluid drained, flushed a few times, then reading the Hyperpro instructions I got confused. "Take out both springs" WTF - there's only 1 spring in there, the Hyperpro spring is huge!! What am I missing here?? An hour later I realize the OE spacer, that small tube that goes on the dampening rod doesn't get reused. OK I had my ID-10T moment. Got everything back together and set it up according to Hyperpro's instructions.

Got the bike off the center stand and bounced the suspension a few times, feels normal?? A quick warm up and off I go. Bike seems to ride fine, maybe a bit of a higher ride height? The first few curves tells me something is definitely different, turn in feels easy and it holds the line really well. Gotta warm up the rubber a bit... I headed down a twisty country road towards the highway for a quick high speed blast. Bike definitely likes curves now, it doesn't squat anymore and the front end feels planted. The rear actually feels soft, but again doesn't squat. Bumps are now absorbed by the front end, previously it felt like I crashed into them. Completely different and very much welcoming.

As I took off on the highway, the bike feels really smooth, an improved ride overall. I was expecting a sporty tight ride, that's not the case at all. It feels like a new machine, like the suspension is alive again! There is almost no nose dive when braking. All I can think of is where can I go this weekend and who can I call to ride with me.

Everything is set to Hyperpro's recommendations, I will go one click tighter on the rear shock. So far, I'm impressed - this is a great bang for your buck for sure.

I'll follow up in this thread after I've had more time on the new setup.

Nice work. So you just swapped out front fork springs and put a hyperpro spring into an 08 shock? That cost you $500? Those springs must be some pricey mofos. A full set of 4 performance springs for my car was $200... these damn bikes are expensive!

I've been wanting to replace the fork springs up front with something a bit more heavy duty, but am pretty impressed with the front fork on this bike. Do you have a contact info for where you got yours?

EPM Performance in NJ. They also sell Wilbers and their own brand rear shock setup. The full spring kit was $289 bucks. I think the fronts alone are $159. https://epmperf.com/hyperpro-motorcycle-shocks.htm

The progressive springs and heavier fork oil they provide made a really nice improvement on the front end.

Time to ride, no wait, gotta clean up the mess in the garage, then out to ride!

Pics??

Thanks for the install heads up. I received my kit about 10 days ago, but won't have time till the second week of July for the install. I was debating between which shop use...done.

I installed Hyperpro front springs after my AK trip 3 yrs ago and a leaking fork. Big improvement, plus I was finally able to get the sag set right.

200 MILE UPDATE:

What a great weekend, weather was picture perfect Sunday morning so I headed out to really get a feel of the new setup. Got my brother to dust off his Ducati 749, it's been sitting for over 2 years. (He has too many toys) He lives about 35 minutes from me, all highway to his house. I went over the install, made sure everything was set correctly as per Hyperpro's instructions. I did go 1 more click in on the rear shock.

The settings are:

F - 3 rings showing, compression 15 clicks out, rebound 6 clicks out

R - 4 clicks out

Once I got on the highway and settled in a bit it was very clear that the bike rides completely different. It's smoother, way smoother. I used to feel the expansion joints, now they're nothing more then a slight thump. The front end is very solid, I actually feel the rubber on the road. The suspension is actually absorbing bumps, what a concept! Biggest change is the front end, I can't wait to get up onto some familiar twisty country roads. The ride is now controlled, I'm no longer driving a pillow but I'm more comfortable then ever. Was the bike that poorly sprung from the factory or has it's age and 34K miles really taken it's tool on the suspension? Big smile on my face at this point and I'm into triple digits, gotta slow down. Got to my brothers place, put the bike on the side stand and suddenly I realize it's leaning over further. The new springs are giving me a bit of a lift. It's alive now!

My brother has been riding his Harley, the Duck's been sitting so he's got to get familiar with the bike again for the first few miles. We head off for a quick buzz down the highway and up into "riding territory". I turn onto one of my all time favorite roads, no traffic visible at all, I start off on a nice pace. The first few sweepers and it's clear this is going to be fun. I'm on the throttle a bit more and the bike holds a line really nice, I'm not fighting it anymore. I'm checking my mirror, the Duck is falling behind but catches up on the straights. He's still feeling it out? I'm familiar with the road and I'm not holding back. 45 mph sweepers are a breeze at 70+ mph - Holy $hit!! The wallowing is all but gone, the sport is back in the sport tourer. The Duck is falling back again, at the next stop he's complaining that his rear end feels twitchy. Hummm... We pull over and look things over. Time to take some preload out of his rear suspension. No spanner wrench, we get a screwdriver and a rock. A few taps and we get the locking collar lose and back off a good amount of preload.

We hit the road again, I get a thumps up from him after a mile. Up into the twisties again and I'm pushing the Perilli's more then ever. The bike is really locked onto the road, nothing upsets it anymore. I can't believe how stable the ride is. The HP springs and suspension fluid really transformed the forks. The new OE shock and HP spring feel like a perfect match. Now I know why everybody raves about aftermarket suspensions on this bike. Why didn't Yamaha make it ride this way from the factory? I can't wait to plan my next long distance get a way. It's like I've been reunited with an old friend.

Hands down this was the best bang for the buck upgrade I've done on this bike. It feels like a completely new motorcycle. Stability is back, comfort has been increased and the fun factor has been moved up to big grin status.

Overall, a big :yahoo: to Hyperpro for a great product. They do exactly what they claim!